Swiftcurrent Creek They're smirking at fresh blood

*salutes* Resident young screwup reporting for duty! Any of y'all feel free to PP Talos or of course the deer as need be, up to and including more injuries and/or collisions as you'd like. *tosses puppet strings to rest of pack*

Talos was on the far side of the herd, and the growling of her stomach was so loud in her ears that she could hardly hear or think of anything else. It was almost as if it had put a buzzing bee inside her head that was driving her crazy and leaving her unable to concentrate on anything else. She smothered the whine rising up in her throat and licked her lips as her feet shuffled restlessly forward in their crouch behind the bush. It had been some days since that last carrion she had scavenged, and while Talos had never before even attempted to help with hunting deer (much less taking one down entirely on her own) she could smell just how wonderfully juicy their limbs would taste between her teeth and had a niggling little voice inside her urging her to get up and try it. It was increasingly drowning out any other, more cautionary voices in the back of her mind, especially as a dribble of drool was starting to collect along the rim of her mouth. She was so close here, closer than she'd ever been to a living deer before, and surely it was almost close enough to get that particularly fit-looking young buck in a single jump?

As it turned out, it wasn't. Not even close. Talos leapt, and landed with a thud as the buck jerked his head up and bugled in alarm. All of a sudden there were hooves, hooves everywhere, all around her as the herd bugled loudly enough to leave her head ringing and the deer stampeded madly in every direction. Except for the buck, who was rearing up and jabbing his stubby antlers towards young Talos as she scooted back with an undignified squeal half of protest and half of surprise. What the hell?! This dude was prey— and prey wasn't supposed to fight back! Talos yelled as the young buck jabbed at her again, with her hastily dragging her tail through the dust and not even bothering to get properly up in her flailing attempts to backpedal and get out of the way. She squeaked in surprise as the thorny bush she'd been hiding behind jabbed her in the rump, and then she somersaulted improbably sideways to avoid the brief charge of the angry buck. Ahhhh yah wai', get back 'ere! she cried desperately as she saw the last of the smaller, less-furious and more-flighty deer bounding speedily away. She somehow managed to regain her feet and, miraculously, only received a sidelong clip of one flying hoof upside her thick skull as she scrambled under the rearing buck's chest and then off to the side where she'd last seen the retreating female deer's rump. Her head was spinning and she hardly even noticed the small trickle of blood streaming its way down and past her ear as she half-chased and half-fled in dizzy confusion, stretching her coal-black legs to the utmost as she ran after the penultimate deer of the now scattered and stampeding herd, hoping all the while that the final, furious buck wasn't following—though she certainly wasn't gonna slow down or stop to turn around and look.

Oops? Up ahead Talos's anxiously pounding heart lurched as she heard the rise and fall of Alpha Kavik's voice as he called the other wolves to the hunt... probably never imaging that hello, folks, here the hunt was coming to you.